


Barista Knows Best

by Raven_Knight



Series: 2018 Autumn OTP Challenge - Multifandom [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, First Meeting, Flirting, Romance, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 03:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15963815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Knight/pseuds/Raven_Knight
Summary: Professor R.J. Lupin is tired and heads to the local coffee shop for something to get him through a night of grading. While there, he meets a barista who knows exactly what he needs, even better than he does.





	Barista Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This piece, archived at Archive of Our Own (Ao3), is purely a non-commercial work of fiction from which I am not profiting in any way. This work may not be reproduced, archived, or redistributed by any means and/or in any format without prior written permission from me. Permission may be obtained by contacting me at r4v3n.kn1ght@gmail.com. 
> 
> This series of oneshots belong to the 2018 Autumn OTP Challenge, though I have done away with the OTP part of it and focus instead on either romantic ships I ship or platonic relationships that fit the prompt given. This oneshot is in response to prompt #1: Classic Coffee Shop. ~ RK

**Barista Knows Best  
** by Raven Knight

Even though term had only started three weeks ago, Professor R.J. Lupin’s exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. The past summer faded into a distant memory while the winter holidays lingered in the unattainable distance. However, his hope of making it through the evening by successfully completing the grading of the latest weekly quizzes increased the closer he got to the coffee shop he often ignored on his commute home. Remus only stopped there in cases of extreme exhaustion, usually in the two weeks just before the end of term. Certainly not in the very beginning of term.

He sat in his car that looked and sounded as worn out as he already felt. He stared at the colorful and cheerful door to the café, half-heartedly trying to convince himself that he didn’t really need this emotional crutch to make it through his evening grading. He really didn’t.

Remus walked into the place and stood at the counter before he knew he’d even left his car. How he hadn’t noticed the change in the scent of the air he breathed he couldn’t figure out. In the café, it smelled like sugar, spice, and…something else that enticed you through the doors which Remus couldn’t quite place. As he lethargically took out some notes from his wallet, he mumbled his order. “Tea, hint of milk. And only a hint, please.”

Thankfully the register displayed the price as the teenager who looked as tired as Remus felt keyed in his order. Wood. _Fitting name really for something so stiff and lifeless,_ Remus thought. Wood wordlessly held out his hand for the payment. The exchange complete, Remus walked to the pickup counter for the nectar of life to be delivered to him. The rest of his evening hinged on this drink not being terrible. He leaned against the wall near the counter and closed his eyes.

A commotion and a surprised yelp caught his ear. When he opened his eyes he saw a younger woman staring at the pickup counter in horror at the spilled tea that covered the countertop and dripped over the edge into the sit-down area of the café. Remus sighed, knowing that his tea was the casualty. He was too tired for this. “I’m so sorry!” she shouted, much too loudly for his patience at the moment. “I just—I trip over everything and—”

“It’s fine,” Remus lied, snatching up a handful of napkins from the nearest table to help her in her frantic efforts. He tossed the dripping cup. “I’ll get this if you would—”

“That was your drink, wasn’t it?” She bit the corner of her lip guiltily. “I’ll get you a new one! Hang on!” She mostly disappeared behind the counter, but Remus could still see her pink hair between all of the machines.

“Do you remember what I had?”

“Yep!” she chirped, machines near her whirring and steaming. “I’m so sorry about spilling it!”

Remus disposed of all of the sodden napkins. “Not to worry. I just have a whole lot of papers to sort through before I go to bed yet.”

She peaked around the corner at him. “Long night?”

He nodded. “You could say that.”

She stuck out her lips in a way that looked like a duck bill, studying him. “ _Bad_ night?”

Remus sighed again. “I’m hoping that stopping here makes it a little better of a night.”

Something beeped behind the counter and she disappeared from sight again, though her voice carried to him. “Know what I make for myself when I need to feel better?”

He didn’t even know her! How would he possibly—oh, right, small talk. He could play along until his drink was finally in his hand. “No. What do you make?”

She came back to the pickup counter, a finished drink in her hand. “A Café Mocha,” she told him. She smiled brightly. “Chocolate always makes me feel better.”

Remus stepped forward and took his drink. “Oh, really?” He could tell by the heat of the cup that he would be a fool to drink it right away. It would burn his tongue and taste buds off!

She nodded excitedly. “It does me anyway,” she said.

 _Of course chocolate would make you feel better,_ he thought. _You’re a woman._

“Right, well!” He mustered a tired smile for her. “Now, I have to go and finish grading some quizzes.” With that, he turned and quickly headed for the door.

“Bye!” she shouted.

Fifteen minutes later, Remus settled at his desk, quizzes in front of him, red pen ready, and lifted the cup to his lips for a sip. This was _not_ tea! He held the cup away enough to make sure he wasn’t imagining anything. There was no printed out sticker on the cup. Probably because of the hasty remake of it. Except it wasn’t a remake, otherwise it would be tea. He took the lid off the cup and inhaled the scent of the drink. Definitely some kind of coffee…and chocolate. Remus sighed heavily, glaring at the offending coffee drink. He glanced at the clock. Too late to call the café and complain. He’d have to stop by tomorrow on the way home again. Having seen the time, his energy withered further. _Perhaps coffee wasn’t a bad idea actually._ He sipped it as he skimmed over the quiz in front of him. By the time he’d finished his grading, Remus begrudgingly admitted that the young woman with the bright smile and pink hair made a good choice for him by changing his drink order.

Perhaps he should thank her for that.

The next day, Remus pulled his car into a spot at the café without consciously deciding to do so. He couldn’t see clearly enough into the café, but he hoped she was working again that day. Deciding to pretend like he came there for a drink instead of to thank the barista from last night, Remus decided that he would order what she made him last night. He approached the register and broke into a genuine smile when he saw that the person he sought stood right in front of him. “You’re back!” she said cheerfully in lieu of greeting.

Her smile was infectious. “I am back, yes.” They smiled at each other. “And I think tonight I would like whatever that was with the chocolate that you decided I needed instead of my normal tea.”

Her smile dimmed. “I’m sorry if you didn’t like it,” she said in a rush of words. “I was just trying to—”

Remus handed her his money. “No, no, trust me, I—” He smiled reassuringly at her. “I _did_ feel better.”

Her bright smile came back. “Really?”

“I did. So, thank you…” He trailed off as he looked at her nametag. “Tonks,” he read aloud.

She ran her eyes over him before finishing the transaction. “Be right back,” she said. She walked away quickly and disappeared around the corner and behind the same machines as the previous night.

Just like last night, Remus leaned against the wall near the pickup counter as he waited for his drink to arrive. In amazingly little time, Tonks stood at the counter looking anxious and worrying her lower lip with her teeth. He took the cup from her, recognizing the scent that time as the chocolatey drink she’d made him yesterday. He smiled at her, but her eyes were fixated on his cup. He looked at it. The reason for her sudden nervousness must have come from the series of numbers and accompanying smiley face written on the lid of his cup. When he looked at her again, her cheeks had blossomed with the same color as her bubblegum pink hair. He made an impulsive decision. “How would ten o’clock be?”

She drew a shaky breath before finding her voice. “If you want me to answer, make it eleven.”

He didn’t remember the last time he’d smiled that wide. “Eleven it is, then, Tonks.”

She swallowed, her cheeks growing a shade darker than her hair. “It’s Dora, actually. Tonks is my surname.”

“I’m Remus…Lupin.”

They stared at each other, smiling, taking each other in. The café door opening brought them back to the present. “Right!” Remus said to fill the now awkward silence.

“Right!” Tonks echoed him.

“‘Til eleven, then,” he said, toasting her with his cup and her number.

She watched him leave with a smile, wanting eleven o’clock to arrive as soon as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Let me know what you thought of this little oneshot below! Hope you enjoyed it. ~ RK


End file.
